What’s new in the Navy? Unmanned surface vessels, that’s what. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Serco have launched the 180-foot USX-1 Defiant prototype, and sea trials will begin this spring, Maritime Executive reported. It’s part of the NOMARS (No Manning Required Ship) program. Previous unmanned vessels were retrofitted; this one starts from scratch.

And when they say unmanned, they aren’t kidding. “The NOMARS program aims to challenge the traditional naval architecture model,” DARPA said in a press release, ” … from the ground up with no provision, allowance or expectation for humans on board.”

Not having to provide for humans, which makes the vessel lighter, saves on construction costs, which is the ultimate goal. It’s expected to be able to stay at sea for a year at a time, and TWZ.com says the Navy is already eyeing the vessel “as a path to fielding a fleet of missile-laden drone boats in the future.”

“It’s going to put more payload out on the ocean, more mission systems out on the ocean,” Ryan Maatta of Serco said, “for much cheaper than the Navy does traditionally.” (Image: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)